If you’re reading this, congratulations on advancing to the semifinals in your league. Just two more weeks left between you and fantasy glory!
I personally lost one of my postseason matchups (damn you, Trevor Lawrence) but pulled the other out despite having an 18% chance to win on Sunday morning thanks to Kyle Pitts turning into prime Randy Moss for three hours on Thursday night. I was able to win comfortably despite a poor showing from the Cowboys defense, who were one of our top streamer picks last week and finished with just one point in a playoff-hopes-crushing loss to Minnesota.
San Francisco also disappointed with zero points in a win over the Titans, but luckily, our top pick of the week saved the day as Jacksonville took care of business against the Jets, winning 48-20 and finishing with ten points via three sacks and three interceptions.
Week 16 will be another exciting one with divisions and playoff berths available to be clinched. Between Rams/Seahawks, Bears/Packers, and Panthers/Buccaneers, we have three games that could very well decide three divisional races in the NFC. And in the AFC, Jacksonville vs. Denver and New England vs. Baltimore will clear up a lot of murkiness in terms of seeding and playoff scenarios.
While I continue praying that Travis Etienne and TreVeyon Henderson can score 30+ every week, let’s take a look at the best fantasy football Week 16 playoff defense streamers (D/ST) that should be available on the waiver wire.
TEAMS TO AVOID IN WEEK 16
Pittsburgh Steelers (64% rostered): Pittsburgh’s ownership has gone up slightly in the past week heading into a Week 15 MNF matchup with Miami, but next week will not be as kind to them. For starters, TJ Watt is out this week and could miss additional time after a facility treatment gone wrong landed him in the hospital for surgery on his lung. The team has downplayed the severity of the ailment, but it’s definitely possible Watt could miss Week 16.
To make matters worse, Week 16 brings with it a road matchup with the Detroit Lions, who are not only incredibly talented on offense but are also becoming more and more desperate. After losing to the Rams in Week 15, the Lions are 8-6 and would be the first team out of the NFC Playoffs if they started today. Chicago and Green Bay appear to be in a two-horse race for the division, and Detroit likely needs to win out to secure a Wild Card spot.
To put things in perspective, the Rams have a top five fantasy defense and put up a goose egg against Detroit despite winning the game. Facing an explosive and desperate offense alone is tough for the Steelers and potentially doing it without their best defensive player is even worse. Avoid them at all costs.
Cleveland Browns (53%): The Browns were on an absolute tear through the middle of the season, scoring over 15 points per game from Weeks 7 to 12 as Myles Garrett barreled towards the single-season sack record. Garrett now sits just one sack short of that record through 14 games, but Cleveland’s defense around him has put up just five points over the last three weeks.
With no momentum and at the tail end of another lost season, the Browns will head back home this week to host the Buffalo Bills. The Bills stayed alive in the AFC East race by mounting a furious comeback in New England on Sunday, scoring 35 points in the final 32 minutes after being shut out for the first 28 minutes of the game. Josh Allen appears poised to single-handedly will this team to the postseason, and he won’t let a flailing defense change that plan.
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 16 DEFENSE STREAMERS (D/ST)
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (47%)
It’s been a bizarre season for the Chiefs and it just got weirder in Week 15, as not only were they eliminated from postseason contention with a loss to the Chargers, but they also lost Patrick Mahomes to a torn ACL. Gardner Minshew looks poised to handle QB duties for the rest of the year, but for the first time in over a decade for the Chiefs, that year will not extend past the end of the regular season schedule.
Despite the disappointment, there are still three games left, and Kansas City will have a chance to play spoiler against the Broncos in Week 17. But first, they’ll hit the road and head to Nashville to face the Titans, who are coming off a loss to San Francisco in Week 15.
Tennessee has been one of the more generous teams to opposing D/STs all year long, but have been stingier in recent weeks — Cleveland had just two points against them in Week 14, and despite beating the Titans in Week 15, San Francisco’s defense finished with zero points, recording no sacks or turnovers on the afternoon.
Cam Ward is definitely playing better as of late, but the real key in Tennessee’s relative competence in recent weeks has been Tony Pollard and the run game. Pollard ran for 104 yards and a score against the Niners, and combined with the previous week against Cleveland he now has 265 yards and three TDs over his last two contests. For context, that’s over 31% of his season-long yardage production and 60% of his TDs in a two-game stretch.
Both Cleveland and San Francisco have been average against the run this year, but Kansas City has been much better, as they’re one of just seven teams to allow less than 100 rush yards per game this year and have allowed the sixth-fewest yards to RBs in 2025. Especially with Pollard less likely to catch anyone off guard coming off of two big games, he’ll probably struggle to replicate his recent success against KC’s stout run defense.
Ward, to his credit, has thrown four TDs to just one interception over the last two weeks, but with just 287 total yards across both games, it’s clear he’s still not in a position to lead an offense with his arm — especially with a group of receivers that is young and still learning the ropes themselves. As long as Kansas City can key in on the run game as they have all year, they’ll have no trouble keeping Tennessee’s point total low and forcing some desperation throws in the second half. If they can rack up a few sacks or interceptions once Ward feels the pressure, the Chiefs will be in for a big day.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (19%)
The Saints have long been eliminated from playoff contention, but they have continued to play hard and just took down the Panthers to sweep the season series in Week 15. I got a lot of feedback on my D/ST Postseason Preview a few weeks ago about not including the Saints, who I withheld based on a combination of lack of talent and lack of motivation. The talent hasn’t changed, but this is clearly a team that is intrinsically motivated to finish the season hard for their coaching staff.
While the Saints have won two straight, they’ve totaled a combined seven fantasy points on defense in those two wins, most recently putting up four against Carolina with one sack and one turnover — so, even though they’re winning games, I was still correct to leave them off the playoff preview. However, I am backing them hard this week going into a matchup with the Jets.
Like New Orleans, the Jets have been out of the playoff picture for quite some time, but unlike the Saints, they’re not looking good at all in recent weeks. Their top two QB options were out with injuries in Week 15, paving the way for Brady Cook‘s first career start. Cook completed 22 of 33 passes but finished with just 176 yards and three interceptions to go along with one touchdown pass.
Cook wasn’t the only issue — Breece Hall had 23 yards rushing on an ugly 1.9 YPC, and no Jets receiver amassed more than 60 yards on the day. And New York’s defense was even worse, with Trevor Lawrence racking up over 380 all-purpose yards and six total TDs on the day.
This game projects to be a pretty ugly slopfest, but with New Orleans trending in the right direction on both sides of the ball and the Jets doing the complete opposite, I think the Saints will dominate in all facets of the game and come away with a convincing win. This should reflect well on their fantasy scoring on defense, and I’m big on this Saints unit this week as a result.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (31%)
It’s been a whirlwind of a season for the Vikings. Early excitement with JJ McCarthy finally being healthy and getting his first win in Week 1 quickly subsided as injuries piled up alongside losses. But after losing six of seven games between Weeks 7 and 13, the Vikings have won two straight, including a primetime road win in Dallas in Week 15.
Minnesota’s defense wasn’t incredible in the win over the Cowboys, finishing with two sacks and just two points, but in their previous two contests this unit had averaged 15 points per game with six sacks and five turnovers against Seattle and Washington. Last year’s fantasy DST2 finally looks competent again, and although it won’t result in a playoff berth, it can help propel them to a few wins to round out the season.
Those wins will be hard to come by after this week as they’ll face Detroit and Green Bay in Weeks 17 and 18, but they get a much easier matchup this week as they hit the road to face the Giants at MetLife Stadium.
The Giants have allowed 21 points to opposing defenses over their past two games, giving up a return touchdown in each game against New England and Washington. They’ve lost eight straight, a streak that kicked off with an epic collapse in Denver in Week 7, and would have the number one pick in next April’s draft if the season ended today.
Things could’ve been different for New York had Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo stayed healthy, but the offense they’re left with at this point has been disappointing. This game doesn’t mean much to either team, but Minnesota has momentum on their side and should put up a solid day.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Cincinnati Bengals (3%): Cincy’s defense has started to look pretty decent as of late, averaging almost ten points per game over their last four compared to under three points per game over their first ten contests. They’ll head to South Beach in Week 16 to face the Dolphins.
Atlanta Falcons (16%): The Falcons sacked Baker Mayfield five times and picked him off once in a Thursday night win in Week 15, and will stay on the road this week to face the Arizona Cardinals.
Carolina Panthers (19%): Carolina fell back into second place in the NFC South after losing to New Orleans last week but will have a chance to reassume that top spot as they face the first place Buccaneers this week. This is a huge game for Carolina and they’ve averaged almost ten points per game over their last three, so I’m optimistic they’ll have a solid day.
